


The Penguin Diaries

by DaHyoSaYeon



Series: The Penguin Diaries [1]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, How Do I Tag, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SO MANY TAGS!!, Stalking, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-19 01:10:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17591882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaHyoSaYeon/pseuds/DaHyoSaYeon
Summary: A small town is terrorized by a serial killer. The police are powerless to stop them. A tangled web of deceit and madness.The thrilling start of a long form psychological horror.





	The Penguin Diaries

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of the first pieces of fanfic that I wrote.
> 
> It's been sitting in the draft folder for like a year, staring at me like an unloved child.
> 
> Here it is.

"Shhh, everything is going to be alright, I'm sure no one knows you're missing."

A flash of dark hair, pale skin, breath coming in short gasps, the sound of struggle, pulse racing. 

Another one. 

Always another one.

Mina sighed, removing her gloves. She looked to her left, where a young girl's body lay; a true beauty, too young to die but she made her choice. 

"would she have been an actor, dancer, singer, mother of 3 with a good husband and perfect white picket fenced house?" Thought Mina, removing her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes.

The screeching of the kettle snapped Mina out of her musings over the young girl's life. She stood by the stove, pouring the boiling water into a cup of coffee and three sugars, Mina liked it sweet; she walked over to the fridge, kicking her shoes off in the process. Cold air rushed out to greet her, the room was warm and muggy. She grabbed the milk, flipped the top off and took a long, deep drink, knowing she would regret this later made no difference, there were many things she regretted, wished she could do again. 

Wandering back over to her coffee, she poured two splashes of milk into the dark brown liquid causing it to lighten dramatically in little swirls of white; she drank without stirring, the room was getting too stuffy for her and the company was less than friendly. 

Mina brushed back her slightly sweaty hair, she took a hair tie off her wrist and did her hair up in a simple bun; next her shirt came off, followed by her jeans, she would burn these next time. The hum of the florescent lights began to slowly creep its way into her psyche and her irritation was becoming apparent, folding her clothes on top of each other, she turned towards the door and took a look at the scene before her, there would be a lot of cleaning on her return visit but then again, there always was. Mina reached up and placed a hand on the light switch, she sighed again. 

The light clicked off, the hum gone and the coffee left unfinished.

\---

The sound of thunder echoed across the plains, a crack of lightning jolting a young officer to consciousness, a yawn and a stretch followed. A soft voice, flowing like cement.

"Enjoy your nap, officer?"

"Yes ma'am, I mean, no ma'am, sorry, won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't. Just because it's a slow day doesn't mean we can slack off, there's always something going on."

"Yes ma'am"

Silence followed, too much silence. The thunder overhead grew closer, rain began to fall from the sky, blurring the windshield. Jungkook glanced over at his partner, a year younger but with 3 years more experience on the force, tough as nails; he had never seen someone work as hard as her, both in and out of work. 

"Uh, Tzuyu?"

"Officer"

"How much longer are we going to be sitting here? The highway is empty and-"

He was cut off by a raised hand, Tzuyu pointed towards an oncoming car, a beat up old junker; a familiar old junker.

"Go ahead, this one is all you" Tzuyu said, motioning for Jungkook to take the lead on this.

With a nod, Jungkook stepped out into the rain, raising his notebook above his head, the pages getting soaked through. He took out his flashlight and waved the vehicle down, hurrying over to the side of the road. Inside the car was a young woman, dark hair and dark eyes with the cutest smile.

"Afternoon officer" she said, her voice dripping with honey, a deep southern drawl accompanying every word.

"Afternoon Miss Momo, uh what I mean, uh, why you drive fast?" The words tumbled out of Jungkook's mouth, the heat rising in his cheeks. Momo let out a little laugh, helping to further embarrass the young man.

"Well, I was just heading to town, got a few things I need to pick up 'fore this evening. What with the storm coming and all." 

"Miss, ma'am, do you know you have a broken headlight and visibility is key in such inclement weather" he stated, the words just flowing like hot sewage "-and not to mention, more than 65% of the time, it's the driver without headlights that causes the most damage, to both themselves and others, in accordance with the law-"

Lighting arced through the clouds, thunder rolling in, the rain pelting down. Tzuyu hurried over to the duo, an umbrella keeping her mostly dry.

"And as such, I feel it would prudent of me to-" Jungkook's brain wouldn't shut off, every word seemed to just rocket out. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Tzuyu reached the truck. 

Placing a hand on the car door frame and leaning in, Tzuyu gave Momo a wink and said

"Afternoon Momo, storm's looking pretty bad, best head on home before things get choppy."

"I would, but I believe your partner needs to issue me a ticket for a broken headlight, in accordance with the law and all that." 

The smile Momo flashed in Jungkook's direction sent chills down his spine, his cheeks practically radiating. Tzuyu cast a look in his direction.

"Officer Jungkook, were you or were you not about to ticket this young lady?"

Yes ma'am but my book is wet"

The leather bound book was indeed soaked through, the ink running. Tzuyu sighed before reaching into her pocket and handing him her notebook. As the young man scribbled the citation, Momo leaned in to Tzuyu and whispered.

"Anything about them missing girls? Heard it's the work of a Satanic cult."

"The missing girls are being investigated and it's nothing to worry about, teenagers run off all the time. Won't be too long before they realize their mistake and come home real quick."

"I sure hope so, Lord knows I'd miss my kid, you know, if I had one"

Tzuyu looked over her shoulder at Jungkook, noticing the ticket in his hand.

"Any reason why you're standing there in the rain letting that ticket get wet and not giving it to Miss Hirai here?"

"Ma'am I didn't want to interrupt"

Jungkook handed the ticket over to Momo, hand shaking the whole time. Momo and Tzuyu spoke further before Tzuyu tapped the top of her truck and sent Momo on her way. 

Tzuyu walked back to the car, leaving Jungkook behind, who ran to catch up. Once inside the warmer interior of their car, Tzuyu turned to her partner and, in a voice heavy with disappointment, said:

"How dense are you?"

"I'm not sure sometimes, why?

"How long are you going to wait before you ask that girl for her damn number?

Jungkook looked down at his lap, cheeks burning again before answering 

"I get nervous around pretty girls. So, why don't you ask her out since you're so good at it?

"She's not my type and besides" Tzuyu paused "I already have a date this evening"

"Oh?" The surprise genuine, his fellow officer didn't usually speak so openly. "This lady got a name?"

"She sure does."

"Well, who is she?"

"Out of towner, looks like the boring type, they always are until later in the evening"

"So what's her name then?"

Tzuyu started the car, the old wipers squeaking back and forth, she revved the engine and pulled away in a cloud of gravel, rolling her window down as she lit a cigarette.

"Mina"

\---

Blood. It's warm, tastes like iron, wet, blinding. 

"Get him out of here. We're done." 

Darkness. Fading into darkness, scared, lights flashing, sirens. Alone. 

A steady beep roused him from his sleep, the darkness slowly becoming bright. White, clean, crisp. 

Safe. 

Two figures stood nearby, at the side of a bed.

Where was this? 

What happened?

A soft voice broke through the haze.

"Mr Jung, do you know where you are?"

Words wouldn't come out, his throat was dry, couldn't swallow. The other figure brought a glass to his lips, slowly she poured water into his mouth. 

Humiliating.

"N-no"

"You have control of your faculties. That's a good sign." The doctor turned to the nurse and spoke softly "The patient shows no signs of brain damage, surprising due to the severe trauma suffered."

The doctor stretched a hand towards the young man's face.

"What do you see?"

"Your hand"

"And now?" The doctor asked, moving to the man's left side.

"N-no-nothing"

The young man felt a hand on his shoulder, the doctor leaned into his view and studied his face before returning to the nurse's aide.

"As suspected, patient has suffered some damage to his left eye, possible retinal nerve damage, extent of vision impairment is, as of yet, unknown." 

He was blind. 

"Well, Mr Jung. There's good news and bad news, which would you like first?" A warmth in the doctor's voice that hadn't been there before, almost like he was talking to a child. A pathetic, blind, useless child that needed things to be sugar-coated and needed someone older to protect them from the dangers of the world.

A painful truth.

Frustration. 

The doctor continued, sensing no answer was coming from the young man.

"Bad news first, you were involved in an accident and suffered severe head trauma, surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage." He explained, again, soft spoken and kind. "Your temporary loss of vision is unfortunate but like I said, it is only temporary, with enough time and rest, your sight should return with minimal loss"

The young man remained silent. With a cough, the doctor continued. 

"Now the good news, you can be discharged from the hospital soon, tomorrow in fact, just need to observe your status for the next 24 hours and then you are free to go and" said that doctor, fighting the urge to smile and failing. "Although, in your one eye the vision has left, at least your vision is all right." 

A joke.

Laughter.

Temporary happiness.

"Doctor-"

"Oh, Dr Kim" he said, flashing his nametag.

"Dr Kim." A long pause followed, the words trying to find a way out, hard to say, not often said "Thank you"

Dr Kim smiled broadly, looking pleased that his joke had gone over so well.

There it was again. A child in everyone's eyes. It never changed.

"Dr Kim, you're needed in the chief's office, he looks steamed." A voice from the left, unseen, spoke.

"Couldn't wait forever I suppose" sighed Dr Kim as he headed for the door, hands in his pockets. The young man's head followed him, his one good eye straining to focus. Dr Kim turned just before leaving and gave one last look.

"Get well soon, Hoseok"

Hoseok. A child's name. Used too long ago to mean anything to him. Better that way. A thousand thoughts raced and crashed at once, one stood out though. A word, fuel, reason, motivation.

Revenge.

\---

The sound of country music drifted through the small bar, the florescent strip above the pool table a beacon of hope in an otherwise dimly lit and smoke filled room. The click clack of a game of billiards rang out followed by a cheer and laughter.

"That makes it 2 to 1, looks like you owe me another drink." Mina said, leaning against the table, taking a drink from her half full beer, a smile creeping past the lip of the glass.

Tzuyu gestured over to the bartender, who filled two glasses and placed on them on the counter. The tall brunette placed her pool cue back on the rack and held out her hand, wanting to stow her date's pool cue as well, instead, she found her fingers wrapped up in another's. Tzuyu raised an eyebrow as the beautiful owner of the other hand, pulled her closer, she wanted to resist but found herself unable. She felt something flutter in her belly. 

Nerves? 

Before her thoughts could run rampant in her head, she became aware of how close Mina was, and all the thoughts melted away, now the only thing on her mind was the person in front of her, so close she could kiss her. 

She wanted to kiss her. 

Mina leaned in, lips slightly parted, she had picked her favourite shade of red and knew she looked irresistible. She had planned to. The officer she stood before seemed like an easy enough target for her, probably the only gay officer in the whole town. 

Man or woman, she knew how to work them, and having the law on her side couldn't hurt. Taking her time, teasing her date, she placed her free hand on the Tzuyu's neck and pulled her in for a kiss but moved her head to the side at the last moment, and whispered in her partner's ear.

"I was thinking, maybe something....stronger" 

\---

Kim Namjoon saw everything in different light, no stranger to the harshness of life and certainly not one to stand aside as something unjust transpired. He was a fighter, someone who couldn't rest until a story had an end, be it happy or not. The truth had to be told even if it were better buried and forgotten, although, the way he saw it, if something is important enough to hide then it's important enough to be seen by anyone who cares. That belief had caused him more trouble than he'd like to admit but, trouble always seemed to find him, or more likely, he always found a way to aggravate the important people. 

Right now though, the only thing aggravating him were the two lovebirds in front of him. The tall one looked like the younger of the two but seemed to be in control; he watched as the smaller one leaned in and whispered something in the other's ear, instantly a flash of red on the tall one's cheeks. 

Namjoon raised his drink, tonight it was bourbon, and took a sip, he smiled; love was the one thing that had eluded him since his last relationship had ended in an explosion of bottled up emotions and tears. 

He glanced around the bar, typical decor of a back water town's only real watering hole, a couple sport's team flags and a beat up jukebox; his phone rang, echoing throughout the dive. He answered without checking the Caller ID.

"Namjoon speaking."

"Hey bro, I'm at the hospital. Can you come pick me up?"

"You've got real shit timing, you know that?"

"If it's too much trouble then forget it."

"Nah, I'll see you soon."

A long silence followed; Namjoon took another drink.

"Thanks bro."

"Yeah."

Namjoon dropped his phone onto the table with a loud clatter and finished his drink. He stood up and walked over to the bar. The bartender looked up, eyeing the newcomer wearily.

"What can I get for you, another bourbon?"

"You know, that sounds perfect, throw in a G&T while you're at it." 

"Bad news in that phone call?"

The young man reached into his denim jacket pocket and dropped a few dollars onto the counter, the money was crumpled and torn ever so slightly.

"Yeah, you could say that"

\---

The ride into town was uneventful as ever, save for the run in with local law enforcement; this ticket could have been avoided, she thought, looking at the damp ticket laying on the dash in front of her. Luckily for Momo, Tzuyu had a soft spot for her and had told her to ignore the ticket; she doubted her luck would last for ever. Momo looked down at her hand, admiring the ring on her finger, a rose gold band with a small diamond set into the center; hands shaking, she removed the ring and entered the pawn shop she had parked in front of.

"How much can you give me for this?" She asked, trying her best to hold back tears.

"Let's see here" the elderly gentleman behind the glass said, eyeing the ring carefully "Normally, I wouldn't give too much for this but since it's you Miss Hirai, I'll give you $100, best I can do" 

Momo eyed the ring, it wasn't a lot of money but she had bills to pay and gas to buy, the weight of selling her most prized possession was threatening to shatter her heart into tiny pieces. 

The only thing that broke, was her resolve; tears started to run down her face, dripping onto her yellow sundress. The old man slid the ring back to her.

"I can't take this ring" he said, voice cracking "I can't pay what this is worth, I'm sorry"

"But I need the money, Mr Bang. This is all I have left to sell" came the reply.

"If I didn't have a business to run, I'd help you out, us country folk gotta stick together; you know it's tough for everyone right now."

"I wasn't looking for charity Mr Bang" Momo said, feeling more and more worthless with every passing second.

Without another word, Momo grabbed her ring and ran out of the shop, straight into the pouring rain, her dress getting soaked through, hair dripping water into her eyes. Good. Now she couldn't tell the difference between the rain and the tears streaming steadily down her cheeks. Momo ran to her truck, ripped the door open and collapsed onto the seat, sobbing continuously into the torn foam cushion; she screamed in frustration, the sound being muffled by the rain. 

Before long, Momo fell into a deep sleep, the sleep that comes from the sea of emotion as it breaks the banks that hold it at bay. A dreamless sleep. 

\---

Tonight was a perfect night for someone with ill intentions, the stormy weather drowning out the sounds of a small town's nightlife; hood up to avoid the downpour, a tall figure stalked the streets, looking for prey. They passed by the cars parked along the main road, stealing a car wasn't on the cards for tonight's outing, tonight was all about observation. Reaching into their pocket, the figure took a small blade and hid it in their right hand, long sleeve covering the knife; observation didn't mean they couldn't take advantage of an opportunity if one happened to fall right into their lap.

They elected to pass over the bar, too many people and the owner, for sure, was armed. Too risky. The pawn shop was a similar situation, good money but dangerous; the figure ran a finger along their neck, the long, deep scar a reminder of a decision that almost ended terribly. 

As the storm increased in ferocity and the sky turned to an inky black, an opportunity presented itself in a beautiful package topped with a big bow; too good to pass up. The figure watched from behind a wall as two figures exited the bar and began walking up the street, the voices gave away two females. Easy. The figure followed from a safe distance, watching everything the two did; the touching and close contact solidified them as the target, couples were easy to hit, one always wanted to save the other and would almost always surrender their belongings immediately. They stopped under a flower shop's awning; kissing, distracted, easy. The figure ran up behind them, knife drawn.

"Ya know, ladies shouldn't be out so late, someone might try and mug you" the figure's deep voice boomed.

Acting on instinct, Tzuyu pushed Mina behind her. She faced the mugger head on, ready to do her duty as an officer; she saw the knife and pushed her jacket aside as she placed her hand on the service pistol on her hip, making it known to their attacker.

"I'm going to ask you to stand down and drop the knife" Tzuyu's voice was calm, her training keeping her nerves steady.

"I'm not going to do that. Guns don't scare me, lady" the attacker's voice just as calm.

"Drop the knife or I will be forced to take action. Stand down."

"How about you hand over all your shit and I let you live, oh, and your girl's shit too"

The man took a step forward, knife raised; Tzuyu's muscles tensed, everything seemed to move in slow motion. In one swift action, the alcohol barely effecting her now, Tzuyu removed her hand from her pistol and, ducking under the blade, tackled the assailant to the ground; he had been caught by surprise. The two tumbled to the ground; using her position to keep the advantage, she grabbed his arm and twisted the knife out of his hand, locking his elbow in a painful hold, his shoulder threatening to pop out. Despite the arm lock, the assailant showed no signs of giving up, his wriggling making it hard to hold him down. Tzuyu didnt notice his free arm hook under her leg and was soon on her back, her advantage now gone. She didn't once think of calling out to Mina for help, she wouldn't put her in danger and although she was now in the losing position, she knew she could win. 

The man landed one well placed punch on the bridge of her nose, she felt the break but adrenaline dulled the pain; his next punch was deflected and Tzuyu used the momentum to flip him over onto his back, finding the space to lock his arm in a full arm bar, using her long legs to choke him. Still he fought back, thrashing around, but Tzuyu had him beat; movement to her side caused her to temporarily lose focus and slacken her grip ever so slightly, it was Mina, she had the knife in her hand.

"Mina, stay back, I've got this. Call the station." Tzuyu commanded through choked breaths.

Mina seemed to ignore her completely, instead moving closer the struggling pair, the knife clutched in both hands. The man seized the moment and tried to roll over, catching Tzuyu by surprise this time, she tried to stop him but it was too late, he was surprisingly strong. The officer knew she was slowly running out of steam but she had to protect Mina; the thoughts racing through her head were dissolved by a scream of pain. The man's struggling stopped and Tzuyu released her hold, standing up and reaching for her phone; she stopped when she saw the reason he had screamed. The knife Mina had been holding was now sticking out of his back, the handle almost flush with his spine. She watched in shock as Mina stood in front of the man and brought her heeled boot down on his head, smashing it into the concrete with a sickening crunch. 

Tzuyu dropped to her knees and checked the man, he was still but breathing. She looked up at Mina, seeing something in her eyes she hadn't before, but a look she knew well.

"Mina, call an ambulance. Now." Tzuyu shouted, the stability and calmness gone. 

The other woman's reply unsettled Tzuyu; an emotionless, cold, malicious

"Why?"

\---

Shouting, screaming, commotion.

The first thought that shot through Park Jimin's head was fire. 

A fire. 

In a flower shop. 

His flower shop. 

Jimin leaped out of bed, blankets scattering through the air. He raced down the stairs, taking two at a time, heart pounding; his legs still unsteady, still half asleep. He reached the lower floor and stopped, no fire; his eyes scanned the flower shop, top to bottom, it was filled with exotic blossoms, common flowers and everything in between. This shop was Jimin's fresh start, a new venture in a new town, where no one knew his name, a place to be himself, free of the demands of city life, free from the dance studio he had begun to hate with every fibre of his being. 

A breath of relief rushed out of his body, his legs shook uncontrollably, forcing him to sit down and regain his composure; his vision darkened at the edges. He knew this feeling. The more Jimin fought, the worse it got; he fumbled around, trying to find the railing, something to hold on to, something solid. 

He felt himself falling away, suffocating in the darkness that was pooling in his vision; the stairs and racks of flower pots swirled into a mangled mess of colours, images dripping out of focus, falling into the black void that threatened to swallow him whole. The panic growing every second, Jimin found the strength to a steady himself long enough to locate the phone on the desk; stumbling towards salvation, he reached out for the receiver, swiping wildly as his legs gave out and sent him crashing to the floor. 

His thrashing had knocked the phone loose and onto the hard wood flooring, chipping a large chunk of plastic off the phone; Jimin reached for the receiver, every muscle burning with pain, every breath shards of glass. He closed his eyes, hands limply feeling for something; somehow, his fingers brushed the phone, this was enough to spur him on for what Jimin felt, would be his last action as a living, breathing person. 

The florist's fingers dialled the numbers on instinct, Jimin thought of his mother, his friends, his cat, everyone he would be leaving behind; all rational thought had left him, just like she did. Her. This was all her fault, everything. The move to the middle of nowhere, his hate for that fucking studio; she had left him broken and he had no idea how to fix himself, he needed one piece but she owned that, she knew it too. She always used it against him, even now, 4 years after, she still had a hold on him, she had sunk her claws in deep and left him hollow. Something kept him going in this, a moment of true helplessness, he was going to make it through this, just to spite her.

The sounds of sirens and the flashing red lights, all but disappeared in the black surrounding him. He felt safe, he was going to be rescued from this pit, he was going to run his damn flower shop and he was going to forget all about her. 

Finally, as his body gave in, as everything melted away; there was only one thought, one focus that kept him afloat in the sea of death that threatened to crush him under the waves. Her. He hated her. Her. 

Sana.

\---

"Chae, emergency. Let's go, you can eat later."

The rustling of a take out box and a multitude of sighs mixed into a symphony of "I'd rather not" as Chaeyoung brushed her brown hair out of her face, not caring that her hands were just slightly greasy from the burger she had just been about to take a bite of. It had been 14 hours since she last had anything substantial to eat, and the burger that lay in the box before her had been a beautiful, welcomed gift from the gods, a gift that would be cold and soggy by the time she returned from the call. She sucked down the strawberry milkshake, barely having enough time to enjoy the sweet treat before her associate returned, a little less friendly this time.

"Chaeyoung, I said let's go. Finish. The. Damn. Sandwich. Later."

"Yeah yeah, sure"

"Watch that attitude, Chae"

Chaeyoung shot daggers at the woman, who was quickly losing her temper with the young EMT, she finished her drink with a loud slurp before slamming the cup down and zipping up her jumpsuit. She flashed a smile at her older companion.

"Let's go save some lives, boss" her words laced with venom

Together they made their way to the ambulance bay, not speaking. The elder of the two climbed into the driver's seat and made sure to double check everything twice, she glanced at the girl in the passenger seat; Chaeyoung was the type of person she couldn't stand: a young kid with an attitude problem. 

"So, what's the call, boss?

"Stabbing, male, early 20s, officer is on the scene."

The tone of her driver was rubbing Chaeyoung the wrong way and she had had enough of it.

"What's your issue with me, Nayeon?"

"I don't know what you mean"

"Like hell you don't. If you've got something to say, then say it to my face"

Nayeon drove a little bit faster, sirens blaring through the night air, rain beating down; the ambulance's wipers working double time to keep up.

"Fine, you want to know why I don't like you? You want to know why I give you so much shit?" Nayeon shouted, not caring that Chaeyoung's cheeks had flushed red.

"Yes, that's why I'm fucking asking you!"

"Because you have an attitude about everything, do you really think I want to be baby sitting you?"

"I have an attitude, really? Who was the one that signed up to be a mentor, oh wait, you did!"

"I didn't expect to have someone like you-"

"What's that supposed to mean? Last time I checked, I'm not the one complaining!"

"You act like a child all the time, everything is too much work for you, everything is too much of a problem for you, your highness"

"I am a child, I just turned 20, two days ago and you know what I was doing?"

Nayeon focused on the road, not wanting to give an inch in this argument.

"I was working. I was working. Wednesday was my birthday and I was working with you." Chaeyoung's voice was lower now, more serious.

Nayeon spoke, softer than before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was your birthday. I guess I never asked either." Nayeon stopped short as she recalled the past Wednesday; the accident.

"Chae, I'm sorry. After seeing something like that, I should have asked if you were doing alright." She toughened up again, the slightest hint of sadness in her voice.   
"I should have done better. I'm in charge of you when we work and I should have done a better job of making sure you were dealing with the stress."

"I'm fine. Really."

The cabin was silent, save for the sirens. Neither party spoke a word. The crackling of the radio broke the stalemate, Chaeyoung picked up the receiver and spoke

"Chae here, what's up?"

"Just got another call. It looks like it's in the vicinity of your call. Caller seemed delirious." 

The tension seemed to dissipate at the sound of the sweet voice on the other end. Chaeyeong shot a worried look at Nayeon; for Chaeyoung the idea of dealing with someone who might be unstable was a fear that she had never fully understood or faced. Nayeon took the receiver from Chaeyoung.

"Thanks Dahyun, we'll keep you posted"

"Same here." Dahyun said, worry very present in her voice "I have a bad feeling about this, I wish it wasn't you two on call. Just...stay safe."

Nayeon pulled the ambulance into the main Street, slowing the vehicle to a crawl; the road had started to flood and it was becoming difficult to control the ambulance. On the right hand side of the road, underneath the awning of a flower shop, three figures were in the rain, two standing, one on the ground. Nayeon pulled the handbrake up and turned to Chaeyoung as she opened the door.

"Looks like it's time to work"

"Sure thing, boss"

\---

Dr Kim Soekjin stood near the hospital entrance, a cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand. He looked out into the rain coming down in sheets, there was slight dip in the sidewalk that was filled with water, dangerous but avoidable; his eyes wandered over to a group of girls, who were shouting and laughing, trying to avoid the rain. 

Jin took a sip of his coffee, it wasn't terrible but not what he was used to drinking; he stared into the brown liquid and wondered how long it would take him to adjust to his new job in a new town with new co-workers and a new boss. He took a seat on a nearby bench and laid back, relaxing for the first time in months; reaching into his right side jacket pocket, he took out his phone and a lighter. 

His phone had a large crack along the bottom half of the screen, a reminder of his time in Afghanistan; Jin had far too many memories, some painful, others less so, yet they all seemed like they belonged to someone else, a different Jin. He rolled the lighter over in his fingers, he marveled at it's steel casing and the deep, dark black hole in it, a life saver. 

A voice from beside him made him jump; he let out a high pitched scream.

"Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?"

The question came from a woman, a giggle followed. Jin, trying to save face, stuck his hands in his pocket and produced a crumpled pack of cigarettes and offered his visitor a smoke. The woman shook her head and Jin, tried to smash his hand back into his pocket, missing twice before finally throwing the whole pack into the nearby trashcan. 

"I think so, maybe"

The woman took a seat, placing her handbag on her lap and looking up at Jin.

"Well, do you mind if I maybe wait here with you. I have a friend picking me up and I don't want to wait alone, in the rain, at night.

"Sure, that's cool"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not a predator or anything like that. Here." she said, reaching into her bag; Jin watched on, interested. The woman pulled out a muffin, wrapped in tinfoil.

"It's honey maple bacon bourbon apple crumble. I baked it myself. It was for my friend, but you look like you need something to cheer you up."

"Oh, uh, thank you."

Jin tried to take the muffin but forgot his hand was in his pocket and ended up just doing an awkward dance in front of this complete stranger. The woman burst into a fit of giggles, somehow this didn't embarrass Jin, in fact, it seemed to make the situation less uncomfortable. Eventually Jin freed himself from his clothing and took the offered muffin; the woman looked on, eyes glowing with hopeful optimism. Jin took a bite and recoiled, much to the shock of the muffin's creator.

"Oh God, is something wrong?"

"No, this is amazing"

The muffin was devoured in seconds, crumbs covered the front of Jin's jacket; the woman watched on the whole time, her smile almost shining through the darkness.

"I'm guessing you enjoyed that?"

"Enjoyed it? That wasn't a baked good. It was a baked best"

No giggles this time; instead, the woman let out a loud laugh, complete with a snort.

"Thank you for the laugh. You're welcome to stop by my shop anytime for more, Mr-"

"Kim, Kim Seokjin, but you can call me Jin, and it's Dr Jin. I didn't spend 7 years in elementary school to be called Mister."

Again, another laugh. Jin liked her laugh, it reminded him of bubbles or butterflies, cute, free from worry. He needed a little freedom, he thought.

"What might your name be, Miss-"

"Minatozaki, Minatozaki Sana, baker extraordinaire and owner of a future baked good empire."

"Well, Sana, can I buy you a cup of coffee as payment for the muffin?"

"It's not necessary, really"

"I insist, really. Any special requests?"

"Three sugars, please, I like it sweet."

\---

Cooler air rushed into the stuffy bar as Namjoon opened the door and stepped out into the street, the rain washing away the effects of the alcohol slightly. He wiped his now soaked hair out of his face and started to walk in the direction of his car, the motel he was staying at was a close enough drive that Namjoon felt he could make the trip without incident. 

The sidewalk had become submerged in the deluge, forcing Namjoon to tread carefully for fear of slipping; the alcohol wasn't his coordination in the slightest and he started having second thoughts about driving. Namjoon reached his parked car and lifted the handle. Click. The door was unlocked, as always; climbing into the driver's seat, Namjoon reached into his pocket for the car's key. After searching for a few minutes, he finally grabbed the key and jammed it into the ignition, he stopped short of starting the engine; was he really going to take his life and possibly others into his hands?

"Fuck it" he said, resigning himself to a night in his car. "Probably more comfortable than that motel bed anyway"

Namjoon lowered his seat and leaned back, his eyelids heavy, and let out a loud, deep yawn; placing his hands behind his head, he began to doze off and was soon in a deep sleep.

His dreams were uneasy, memories of the past. Images flashed in his mind; crime scenes and their accompanying bodies were the most prominent, he saw the victim's families, saw the courtroom scenes play out like a TV drama. One memory stood out among all the horrific imagery; a woman, a man and child. Smoke. Fire.

"Mom, what's going on?" His voice was hoarse, raspy. The woman, his mother, dropped to her knees and screamed. He ran towards her and wrapped his small arms around her. 

"Why, Namjoon. Why did you do it?" 

"What?"

"How could you do this?"

"Mom, what did I do, tell me"

"This is your fault, you evil little boy!"

Namjoon felt a hand on his shoulder and heard his father's voice, soft and calm despite the burning building in front of them.

"That's not fair, this wasn't his fault."

His mother's eyes narrowed to slits, her tongue dripping venom.

"This is his fault. It's always his fault."

The smoke billowed out, obscuring his vision; his eyes searched for something in his mother's gaze other than pure loathing. He found nothing. 

The scene changed. He was in a hospital room, the steady beep of an EKG machine pounded into his head like nails; his eyes scanned the room, the bed had an occupant; rushing over, Namjoon looked into the eyes of the figure. His sister. Tears started rolling down his cheeks, dripping onto the covers; his legs threatening to let him fall. Namjoon held his sister's hand, gently, he didn't want to disturb the bandages that covered her her arms and head. He chocked out the words.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my fault. I didn't know you were in the house."

The door to the room opened, Namjoon turned to see who had entered the room. His mother. He stood up and backed away from the bed, raising his hands in defence. Mother dropped the bouquet of flowers she was carrying, Smereldas. She had grown so old in such a short time, a woman beaten down by stress and grief.

"Get out, get away from her and get out, now!" She shrieked at Namjoon as if he were a monster.

"Mom, I -"

Then the words hit him, like a truck, finally she said them.

"You are no son of mine"

Alarm bells rang out in Namjoon's head, no, not alarms. Sirens. 

Namjoon raised his pounding head as an ambulance roared past, sirens blaring. Despite his head feeling as though he had run headlong into a wall, Namjoon threw open his door and ran after the sirens, there had to be something worth reporting going on.

\---

 

Papers littered a desk, bathed in the glow of a monitor, a lone figure in the darkness of the office sat typing. A series of images flashed by on the screen, pictures, crime scene photos, evidence of all sorts. The dark wood of the desk was almost invisible under the mounds of paper and crushed energy drink cans, at first glance the owner of the desk might be thought of as lazy and at peace with the mountain of miscellaneous and mundane objects gathered in one spot. A different idea crossed Jungkook's mind, instead of seeing it as being lazy, he found a sense of pride in his...dedication to his work. 

He leaned back and stretched, his arms heavy. Jungkook was tired; his yawn echoing throughout the empty office as he rummaged through the would be paper mill for his phone. Eventually his hand brushed against the cold plastic, he shielded his eyes against the bright screen and checked the time. 12:01. He had almost missed a text from Tzuyu. 

"Figured she be on her date by now" he thought as he opened the text. Jungkook couldn't help but laugh at the message.

'She's out of my league."

Jungkook stared sleepily at the coffee machine across the room, sustenance and the will to carry on was just opposite him but, so far away. He let out a small whine and spun around in his chair, the metal squeaking under the stress. 

"Another late night, Officer Jeong"

The spinning man leapt into the air, kicking the chair out from underneath himself; the chair bouncing off the carpeted floor. He stood clutching his chest, his heart pounding; the realization of who had spoken hit him. It was the police chief. 

"Yes Ma'am, just catching up on some work ma'am. Filling out reports, ma'am" Jungkook said, he stood poker straight and saluted. 

The chief cocked her head to the side and smirked.

"Relax, Jungkook. We're off duty. No need to be formal and definitely no need for a salute, but if you must." The police chief saluted the young officer, even in being friendly she still had an intimidating air about her "At ease, soldier."

"Ma'am, I thought I was alone in here." Jungkook suddenly became very aware of how messy his desk was and made an attempt to shuffle the mess of papers into something presentable. 

"Enough with this ma'am nonsense. You're making me feel older than I already do. Irene is fine." Irene said as she opened her office door and clicked on the desk lamp. "Sorry for sneaking up on you while you were hard at work misusing government property."

"I'm sorry ma'am, I really did think I was alone here" 

Irene popped her head out of her office, her long, brown hair cascading down her shoulders; she cast her eyes in his direction.

"Take a break, let's have a drink."

"Ma'am?"

"It's Irene, call me Irene. Now, do you want a drink or not?"

"I wouldn't say no to one ma'am."

The police chief motioned for Jungkook to follow her into the office. It took a few moments for Jungkook's brain to register, the whirring of the computer annoyed him slightly as he quickly shuffled the papers together and shoved them into his desk, grabbing his phone and finishing an ice cold paper cup of coffee. He shut the monitor off and tried to casually stroll to Irene's office, but then became aware that he was trying to casually stroll and began making strange motions with his arms, then he thought about breathing and now he was manually breathing; he felt like a fool.

"Do I always act like an idiot around women?" he thought.

"You seem alright around Officer Chou, so probably not all women." 

Irene's voice was muffled by the walls of her office but she clearly had heard him.

Jungkook could feel his brain kicking into overdrive.

"I didn't know you could read minds, ma'am"

"Well, when you get to my age, you sometimes find out that you develop certain traits. That, and you tend to speak out loud when you think."

He rounded the corner to Irene's office and saw her sitting behind her desk in her old, red leather chair. Against his better judgement, Jungkook leaned against the door frame with one arm raised, trying to look as cool as possible. Irene raised her eyes from the calendar on her desk and took in the sight of a young man who was clearly out of his depth.

"When I said you can relax, I didn't mean like this. I'm still your boss, okay?"

The way Irene spoke, he felt like a child but then again, he was the one trying to be cool, she just was. He stopped leaning against the door and did the same strange walk to the chair and took a seat. Irene took a bottle of what looked like brandy out of a desk drawer and with it, two glasses; she unscrewed the cap and poured each of them a rather full glass. Jungkook took the glass and gave a slight nod and took a sip, he stopped and watched in awe as the chief slammed her glass in one shot and began pouring another.

"Rough week, ma'am?"

"Not any rougher than normal, why?"

"I was just wondering"

Irene paused for a moment, before realizing what he meant.

"Oh, that?" she waved her hand, dismissing his remark. "Can't drink at home, kids don't like it."

'So, you come here to drink?"

"Not always"

The statement hung in the air for what seemed like eternity. Irene broke the silence with a question.

"So, what's spurred these late night work sessions; not that I mind a dedicated officer who loves doing their job."

Jungkook rolled the glass in the his hand, staring at the amber liquid.

"I'm trying to figure out the link between the murders. There has to be something, I know it."

"You think you can do that job better than the FBI?"

"The FBI are involved?"

"Two agents showed up here last week, asked for all the files we had on the cases. I obliged and they said they'd be back."

"Is there something they know that we don't?"

"I doubt it. I think it's just routine."

With a sigh, Irene spoke, she sounded as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

"The FBI believes it might be a serial murderer, they also think the disappearances are connected. Apparently the circumstances around the missing girls match those in multiple other states. FBI is probably putting together a profile and they need our records, that all."

"I want to help on this case. Serving tickets for broken tail lights is all fine and well. I know Officer Chou and I can figure this out."

"Speaking of Officer Chou, I saw her at the bar this evening. Looked like she was having fun. It's good. She works too hard sometimes."

Silence followed.

"Tell you what. I'll see what I can do about having a couple of officers assist the FBI on this case."

"Ma'am?"

"See what you can find out in the meantime."

"Yes, ma'am."

\----

Cold air blasted through the vents of the conference room, causing some of the occupants to shiver. A figure stepped into the light of the projector, cutting a dark shadow in the white screen behind her; the heels of her boots clicking against the hardwood floors. Another figure stood up and spoke to the assembled party.

"Allow me to introduce special agent Kang and-" the figure motions to another shadowed individual "special agent Son"

"Thank you, Chief Bae."

Special agent Kang gave a small bow and spoke to the room. 

"Good morning. Thank you all for attending on such short notice."

The room was tacit in it's response, save for one voice, a young man's voice.

"Morning to you too, special agent Kang."

Agent Kang nodded in response before opening a plastic folder and flipping to the third page.

"Wendy, if you would"

"Sure thing."

The figure, previously identified as agent Son, started a rotation of the room and began handing out similar plastic folders. 

"If you would all be so kind as to open your case files to page three. I must warn all of you, at times this information may be a bit dry but is nonetheless important." Agent Kang once again addressed the room, allowing the sentence to hang for a beat before continuing on. She produced a remote from her suit pocket and began clicking through the photos being displayed on the screen.

"As I'm sure you're all well aware, we are investigating a series of murders. The most recent of these occurring right here in this town." Kang spoke with intention, her movements deliberate and forceful, she turned to the screen as a set of crime scene photos appeared on screen. 

The scenes displayed were extremely graphic; a young girl lay sprawled out on a bare concrete floor, an electrical cord wrapped around her neck, the white plastic embedded deep in her flesh. 

"This, is Kim Yerim, 16. Cause of death: strangulation. Her body was found in a, once thought, abandoned warehouse. The victim was discovered approximately 8 days after death. We have reason to believe this murder is connected to another murder in the same state."

The projector clicked, casting the room into darkness for a split second before showing another gruesome set of pictures. This time, the subject was another young girl, a young girl who appeared to be alive in multiple photos.

"Kim So-Jung, 16. Autopsy report shows the victim was held against her will for no less than 22 days before being-"

The projector clicked again.

"Decapitated by a length of cable."

Another click. Darkness. Light. Red.

"Minnie Nicha Yontararak, 16. Strangled with a pair of stockings. The DNA on the stockings were too degraded to be used for accurate testing. The victim was found 10 days after her murder."

Agent Kang clicked the projector off, allowing a moment for the darkness to settle. Silence, save for the whirring of the projectors fan.

"Wendy, lights please"

Light exploded into existence, banishing the darkness to the furthest corners of the Earth, it seemed. Wendy went around the room, collecting the files from the visible shaken group; pausing for a moment when she reached the young man who had spoken before, her hand resting just barely touching his as she took his file.

"You alright there bud? You look a little pale"

Jungkook sat there in a stunned silence, not even registering the touch on his hand; his senses snapped back to him and he handed the file to Wendy, nodding as he did so.

Wendy finished her rounds and stood at the front of the room next to agent Kang, pushing her glasses up and brushing her skirt off; the various bone and gold bracelets clicking together. Agent Kang gave her a disapproving look, Wendy bowed sheepishly in return.

"Sorry Seulgi"

Without a response, agent Kang turned to face the room again, holding out a hand to a dark haired woman, inviting her to take the floor.

"Some of you may have already met, but just so we're all clear, let's get going with the introductions. Beginning with our lead profiler, Miss Myoui."

\----

The psychiatrist strutted to the front of the room, her gait was elegant but powerful; she rolled up the right sleeve of her jersey and brushed her hair out of her glasses and behind her ear. Mina scanned the room, taking note of every person's face; she took a breath and began:

"Good morning. My name is Mina Myoui. As agent Kang has already mentioned, I am the lead profiler on this case and have been for the last few months. I was brought on after it became clear that we might be dealing with a serial murderer; all evidence points to that being the case."

Mina's gaze drifted over to Tzuyu, their eyes met. Flames.

"As of this moment, we have no possible way of knowing when they will strike again, but, we may know where. I've compiled a list of the most likely areas our unsub might attempt their next crime." 

The lights dimmed, the projector flashed into life again, the small motor's whirring the only sound. Displayed on the screen was a map, on it were red dots, each connected by black lines; Mina pointed to their current location, Winona, Kansas.

"The scene of the most recent crime. As you're well aware, Winona is somewhat isolated during certain times of the year, predominately during the late Summer due the torrential seasonal rains and this may have been why the unsub chose this area, despite their being a rather active police presence. This tells us that the unsub doesn't fear law enforcement, instead they might be connected to the police in some way; this is further supported by the fact that in each of these 23 locations, there was an increase in police patrols in the weeks leading up to a murder. This, of course rules out local police officers as these murders all took place states apart from each other."

Mina paced back and forth as she spoke, constantly pushing her right sleeve up; she spoke as though she were reading off of notes, her notebook however, lay closed on the table, it's frayed and worn edges spoke volumes of it's use throughout the profiler's career.

"The unsub targets young women, this leads us to believe we're dealing with a man between the ages of 22 to 30; reasoning: the state in which the victims were found indicates that each one willingly chose to go with the unsub. He is most likely taller than his victims, as indicated by strangulation being the cause of death in each case, almost all the victims were strangled standing. Furthermore, we can assume with some certainty that the unsub is attractive but unremarkable as no strange or out of the ordinary men were seen by witnesses in the areas around the crime scenes."

The profiler stopped to brush her hair out of her eyes for the umpteenth time; turning her eyes for just a moment to meet Tzuyu's once more before continuing in her profile of the killer. When their eyes met, Tzuyu had looked away. "Nervous? No, passion, maybe?" Mina thought. 

"Lastly, the unsub has a way of getting around fairly quickly, our best guess, is that he uses airlines; however, he may be using stolen credit cards or perhaps cash as there is no connection as of yet between the time of murder and flights between the crime scenes. The unsub could very well be a freight worker of some kind, a trucker perhaps, this might give him the freedom to travel the country with impunity. We do not believe the unsub carries a firearm of any kind; no bullet casings or reported gunshots during the time of murder either. I believe that is all for now. Agent Kang, please."

Mina grabbed her notebook, and gave a slight bow to Agent Kang; catching Tzuyu's gaze once more out the corner of her eye. Flames.

Excellent.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed the first part of many(?). 
> 
> This was heavily edited but I didn't want to change too much. It's hot garbage compared to whatever else I've written but hey, you gotta learn somehow.
> 
> Like, comment and subscribe to receive a copy of my screenplay featuring Steve Buscemi as a young Jungkook struggling to make a living on off-off-broadway plays.


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